Baba Yaga’s Horsemen (CR +3)[3pp]

Baba Yaga’s three horsemen are legends in their own right. Bright Day, Red Sun, and Black Night (also known as the White, Red, and Black horsemen) are her faithful emissaries, scouts, and warriors abroad. They are typically male, human, and usually cavaliers, fighters, or rangers. Their appearance is distinctive: each dressed in colors and lacquered armor and trappings to suit their name with their magical horses colored to match. Their roles appear to coincide with their appointed offices although their precise relationship to Baba Yaga is the source of much speculation. They may be serving for a period of time in exchange for a favor or bargain, or they may be cursed to replace a previous horseman they slew; in either case, she is the source of their power. The horsemen are innately connected to the domain of time, each representing part of the day, as measured by the sun. Bright Day is bound to and governs dawn to mid-day, Red Sun from mid-day to sundown, and Black Night rules until daybreak. While Baba Yaga herself is wily and capricious, her three horsemen are bound to cosmological forces that are uniform and constant, which is eventually reflected in their alignment and demeanor.

Creating Baba Yaga’s Horsemen

“Baba Yaga’s Horsemen” is a template that can be added to any intelligent combat role creature capable of riding a mount (typically a human of the cavalier, fighter, or ranger class). A horseman retains all of the creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here.

Hit Dice: All of the creature’s racial HD (if any) become d8. All HD derived from class levels remain unchanged.

Common Traits and Abilities: All horsemen have the following abilities and defenses in common.

Perpetual (Su)

The horsemen do not age and are immune to aging effects.

Temporally Susceptible (Su)

The unusual nature of the horsemen can be circumvented by certain magical effects. Daylight can drive Black Night from the Material Plane, and deeper darkness banishes Bright Day and Red Sun, provided the CL of the source is powerful enough. If the CL is greater than a horseman’s total HD, he must make a Will save (DC 10 + the highest spell level the caster can cast + the caster’s relevant ability modifier). If the horseman fails, he is physically driven off to the Ethereal Plane. He may return if possible in 1d4 rounds but must have a remaining use of his plane shift ability to do so.

Timebound (Su)

A horseman can only voluntarily manifest on the Material Plane during their time of day. When that time ends, they are involuntary shifted to the Ethereal Plane, regardless of any remaining uses of plane shift. They cannot choose to return until the start of their time of day on the following day. Greater planar binding and similar spells can summon a horseman, but they receive a +4 on their Will save to resist if it is not their time of day. This bonus to resist can be circumvented if the location or magic circle they are summoned to is under the effect of daylight (for Bright Day and Red Sun) or deeper darkness (for Black Night). Dimensional anchor or dimensional lock can force a horseman to remain on the Material Plane past their time. The unusual nature of Baba Yaga’s Hut and the fenced yard around it negate this limitation (as will any area where magic doesn’t function); the horsemen can remain on the Material Plane at any time during the day within those areas.

Horseman’s Steed (Sp)

A horseman can summon a horse, as phantom steed (CL 12) 2/day with the following changes: the creature appears to be a normal horse colored white, red, or black, matching its rider. The effect does not end if the horseman moves to another plane, providing he is actively riding it.

Spell-like Abilities (CL 12th) (Sp)

Temporal Strike (Su)

As a standard action, a horseman may strike a living target with a melee or touch attack and age the creature, causing it to advance to the next age category if it fails a DC 22 Fortitude save. The victim gains all the penalties from this aging and none of the bonuses, as well as any damage from a melee weapon, if used. A venerable victim targeted by this ability dies if it fails a DC 22 Fortitude save. This ability may only be used 2/day on any single target, and the effect lasts for 24 hours but may be reversed by greater restoration, limited wish, miracle, or wish.

Specific Abilities: Each of the horsemen has specific senses, defenses, and special and spell-like abilities (CL 12) individual to them.

Light Insensitivity (Su)

Red Sun is immune to blindness, mind-affecting effects, and other abilities that are light-based and require sight (such as dazzle and hypnotic pattern). Red Sun can stare directly at the sun without harm. Effects that manifest as light but do not require sight affect him normally.

Abilities: A horseman gains a +4 bonus on three ability scores of his choice and a +2 bonus on the other three.